The Body Of David Hayes (2004)

This is the rare cop thriller that would be right at home in Oprah's Book Club. Despite The Body of David Hayes' convoluted bank embezzlement intrigue and well-paced sting-within-a-sting plotting, we truly feel keyed in to how its characters feel. And boy, do they feel. Here's Liz Boldt upon hearing from her ex-lover six years after he made off with $17 million of her bank's money: ''Tears threatened behind a screaming in her ears. Fingernails on a blackboard.'' Her husband, Lou, a veteran Seattle cop, upon learning Liz's affair lasted longer than he'd thought: ''He carried the deadened countenance of a man poisoned by grief.'' Ridley Pearson cares deeply for these characters, now in their ninth outing -- and will never let them get away with their faults. Dr. Phil would be proud.